


Texts from the End of the World

by Kay (sincere)



Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Bantering, Gen, Joshua Being Joshua, M/M, Spoilers, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-02
Updated: 2015-09-02
Packaged: 2018-04-18 17:29:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4714382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sincere/pseuds/Kay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He has to do something to wile away the hours between one Day and the next, but he doesn't have a lot of options. What he does have is all the time in the world -- unlike everyone else in Shibuya.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Texts from the End of the World

**Author's Note:**

> Contains bored Joshua and all of the spoilers. Even this intro has spoilers. Written for the [](http://fic-promptly.dreamwidth.org/profile)[](http://fic-promptly.dreamwidth.org/)**fic_promptly** prompt, "he doesn't sleep like the real Players".

Neku was unconscious, sprawled in the middle of the Scramble Crossing, and Joshua was sitting on the curb nearby, leaning over his legs, utterly bored.

He'd entertained himself for a while by people-watching, but this late at night even the Scramble Crossing could be empty -- shocking, but true.

The only outlet he had was texting or calling Hanekoma. No one else could know that he didn't go to sleep when the other Players did; no one could be allowed to ask questions about his participation in the Reaper's Game; he even had to hide the fact that he was in the Realground, so he couldn't interact too much with anyone on the street and risk word getting around.

" _Have you ever thought of programming more entertaining games for flip phones?_ " he typed.

In his boredom, the wait for a response felt like an hour.

" _Should've planned ahead boss,_ " Hanekoma responded helpfully.

" _Your lack of commas disgusts me,_ " Joshua sent back, because if Hanekoma was going to be a brat about this, so was he.

" _Any grammar & spelling that isn't wrong is autocorrect_"

Joshua rolled his eyes.

The games on his phone kept him busy until he was physically sick of them, and then he sighed. His fingers reflexively opened the app labeled "Composer", just to survey Shibuya and verify that it was operating well -- if at its usual level of awfulness and egotism. But that wouldn't work from the Realground either.

Just to relieve a few minutes of emptiness, he relocated himself to the top of the tallest dumpster he could find to check out the view. It wasn't bad.

" _I should go on vacation,_ " he texted Hanekoma.

" _Where_ "

" _Somewhere in the mountains. Wouldn't it be nice to see the stars in the sky for once?_ "

He waited for the response, which came promptly: " _You realize they don't have omnipresent wifi there_ "

Ugh, well, the big drawback to rural, mountainous countryside was that it was rural, mountainous countryside.

" _Maybe after I destroy Shibuya I'll be able to see the stars here,_ " he typed.

His eyes narrowed as he waited again -- for, he thought, just a little bit too long. Then his phone lit up with Hanekoma's message, " _Best time for a vacation tho_ "

" _That's true._ " Once he rebooted Shibuya, he wouldn't have much work until he got it started again; after that he'd have to give it his almost constant attention.

He diverted his attention briefly to Neku, who, of course, hadn't moved.

"You'd better make this worth my while," he said. "If I had to endure hours of this to get you through this Game and you don't even win, I won't get my vacation."

He definitely needed a break from all this doing nothing.


End file.
